1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention is related to a boats. More specifically, the subject invention is related to boats having a gate and a latch assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recreational boats are continuously improving and becoming increasingly luxurious. Many boats, such as pontoon boats, include a gate extending between two wall segments and rotatable between open and closed positions for controlling access into and out of the interior space of the boat. The gate is releasably secured in the closed position with a latch assembly.
One type of latch assembly employed in many pontoon boats includes a pivoting member which is rotatably secured to one of the wall segments and presents a pair of outwardly extending legs which are spaced from one another by a width that is slightly greater than the width of the gate. When the gate is moved to the closed position, a user can rotate the two-legged latch downwardly into a latched position with the gate trapped between the legs to lock the gate in the closed position relative to the adjacent wall segment. The user may open the gate by pivoting the latch upwardly. While effective at latching the gate in the closed position and being simply constructed, such two-legged latch mechanisms have their drawbacks. Such latches are prone to damage since excessive opening or closing pressure applied to the gate is born by one or the other legs, and they can bend under excessive load. The spacing of the legs on either side of the gate when in the closed position and the metal-to-metal contact if the latch is made of aluminum makes such latches prone to noise, as the gate may have a tendency to rattle back and forth against the legs during operation of the boat. Making such two-legged latches out of plastics material is an option to alleviate the noise issues and reduce the opportunity for bending, but such plastics materials also have their limits and are prone to breakage and possible deterioration with prolonged exposure to the elements. In addition to their functional limitations, such two-legged latches are very utilitarian and may lack the appearance desired for higher end boat applications.